Well, it’s Wednesday, and that means accumulated lunchtime news chum. Today’s collection bring articles related to Facebook, the ADA Anniversary, Letter Grades in NYC, Bombshelter Life, Letter Writing, and Fat Fashion.
- From the “It’s Up There With Microsoft” Department: Facebook. We all use it. But do we love it? According to the NY Times, Facebook is about as loved as the local Power company. In other words, we use it because that’s where the people are, not because it is necessarily the greatest product. This is a common problem: it’s why we have the automotive system we have today.
- From the “Ramping Up” Department: As we all know, this week marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But, surprisingly, one public venue was not ADA-compliant: The US Congress. That’s changed: For the first time in history, a lawmaker in a wheelchair will preside over the House of Representatives. This one lawmaker has been single-um-chairdly responsible for increasing the sensitivity of Congress. Perhaps congresscritters need to spend a day acting-as-if to learn what it is like.
- From the “Learn Your A, B, Cs” Department: New York City is about to gain something that other cities have had for a while: letter grades for restaurants. What’s interesting about the article is how up in arms the restauranteurs are: Many restaurateurs contend that the new system is confusing, and some have predicted a mass shuttering of businesses rated B and C. They need to learn that if their place is clean and their food is good, they have nothing to worry about. Or, as the article writes: “But Sarvjit Singh, owner of the Sohna Punjab restaurant in Bellerose, said he had no worries about maintaining a clean restaurant. “I tell my chef he should be cooking as if he were eating that food,” he said.”
- From the “Contingency Planning” Department: Looking for a new timeshare? How about a
bomb shelterdoomsday shelter? That’s right. Doomsday shelters are back, and claim to protect those inside for up to a year from catastrophes such as a nuclear attack, killer asteroids or tsunamis. The cost? $50,000 for adults and $25,000 for children. My favorite line was this: “The Vivos network, which offers partial ownerships similar to a timeshare in underground shelter communities, is one of several ventures touting escape from a surface-level calamity.” Just think about this: “similar to timeshare”. Well, that asteroid is going to hit earth…. but it’s not your week… what do you do? Will there be an Interval Exchange for Disasters? - From the “Some Things Don’t Die” Department: USA Today has a nice piece on how summer camps are preserving the art of letter writing. Alas, children don’t know the little things, like how to place the stamp on the evelope or write their address. More interesting, however, is what the time delay forces: it forces the children to solve the problem on their own, as opposed to just getting the answer. Us Compusaurs can think of another example: Look at the punch-card slow-turnaround days vs. the interactive instant gratification. Which resulted in higher quality and better tested code? Instant isn’t always best.
- From the “Fubsy Fashion” Department: The NY Times has a nice artice on how large-size fashion bloggers are creating events to get more stylish clothes. What’s interesting about this is the contrast: in one corner, we have the government folks and so called health experts touting obesity as the tobacco of this generation, the dangerous obsession that will destroy society and win the war for the enemy. On the other side, we have the folks promoting health at whatever size—not fat for fat’s sake, but a recognition that healthy bodies come in a range of shapes, sizes, weights, and colors, and we need to embrace the diversity. Now, although I have been working hard at losing weight, I’m still in the camp of want health, not just thin-for-thin. In particular, I think the BMI approach we’re using now is terribly misguided, and is likely leading people to overdiet, potentially hurting themselves.
